Just weeks after becoming the official state dairy product, cheese will once again be in the spotlight today.

It’s Wisconsin Cheese Day, and Governor Scott Walker is kicking it off with a visit to Klondike Cheese in Monroe. Officials from multiple state agencies and other key state leaders will visit other producers around the state.

The governor’s office say it’s an effort to thank producers who are expanding their operations, and to recognize their contributions to the state’s economy and dairy industry. June is also Dairy Month in Wisconsin.

At least some Wisconsin farmers will have to plant their crops a second time, after the first ones were damaged by last week’s storms.

Almost one dozen tornadoes and a rash of heavy thunderstorms roared through different parts of the state each day — and the USDA says it damaged crops and farm buildings while creating ponds in low lying areas. But in places where it didn’t rain, crops responded well to the heat and humidity — and their conditions got better.

The Wisconsin Ag Statistics Service says 71 percent of the state’s corn is rated good to excellent, and 94 percent of the crop has emerged from the ground — eight days later than last year, but one day ahead of the average for the past five years. Meanwhile, 78 percent of the soybeans are good to excellent, along with 81 percent of the oat crop and 85 percent of Wisconsin’s potatoes.

While Wisconsin has long been known for the cheese produced here, it’s now officially one of the items that helps to define the state.

Governor Scott Walker on Thursday signed legislation designating cheese the official state dairy product.

The governor signed the bill at a Mineral Point school, where a group of fourth graders first proposed the state symbol status to Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green). “These kids knocked it out of the park,” Novak says. “They were so impressive. They had studied the dairy industry, the cheese industry, and spent about an hour going over why cheese should be the state dairy product.”

From there, those students helped lobby for the bill Novak and Marklein introduced, which included sending letters to lawmakers and testifying during a hearing at the Capitol.

Wisconsin’s list of state symbols does include other mentions of the dairy industry – including milk as the official state beverage and the dairy cow as the state’s domestic animal. Still, Novak says it’s important to highlight the role cheese plays in the dairy industry as well, since about 90 percent of the milk produced in the state is made into cheese. “I think we all realized how important cheese is to the state of Wisconsin, and there wasn’t any mention of it anywhere,” Novak says.

Governor Scott Walker has signed legislation on high capacity wells. That means owners of high capacity wells will be able to avoid having their permits reviewed when they repair, re-drill, or sell their property.

The bill’s authors say it gives agricultural producers needed certainty on access to groundwater. Opponents claim it pits the state’s agriculture and tourism interests against one another.

The bill also requires the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to complete a hydrologic study in central Wisconsin to evaluate the extent to which existing and potential groundwater withdrawals are impacting lakes and streams.

A Republican lawmaker wants to decriminalize possessing small amounts of Marijuana in Wisconsin. Representative Adam Jarchow of Shell Lake says the bill represents something of a journey for him — after he heard from constituents while campaigning last year.

“I was pretty surprised, by how many voters talked to me about that,” Jarchow said during a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday. “If people in rural northwestern Wisconsin, in a conservative district, think that we need to change course, than maybe we do.”

Senator Fred Risser is a Democrat from Madison, where marijuana has already been decriminalized. “Quite frankly, it’s necessary sometimes for local units of government to move ahead of the state,” Risser said.

Jarchow’s bill would make possession of a small amount of pot a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a one hundred dollar fine. “I cannot stress how important that is, for young people who are entangled in the criminal justice system, to be able to rebuild their lives,” said the bill’s Assembly cosponsor, Milwaukee Democrat Evan Goyke.

“In a state where first offense drunk driving is not a felony, it seems to me to be pretty odd that possession of a couple joints could land you in jail or prison,” Jarchow said.

Previous efforts at decriminalizing marijuana in Wisconsin have failed to advance in the legislature.

Legislation to allow hunting and trapping woodchucks in Wisconsin gets a hearing at the Capitol. Forget about the wood they chuck — state Representative Andre Jacque (R-DePere) said woodchucks can do a lot of damage to farmers and gardeners. “They eat up their crops, and dig holes in the fields that may damage plows and trip up livestock,” Jacque told members of the Assembly Natural Resources committee during a hearing for his bill on Wednesday. Wisconsin Trappers Association president Scott Zimmermann said woodchucks also cause damage by burrowing around building foundations.

The bill would allow woodchucks — also knows as groundhogs — to be hunted and trapped in Wisconsin, which is already the case in many other states. Committee chair, Representative Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) noted this isn’t the first time such legislation been offered. “For some reason, this woodchuck has seen its shadow in the past and has not made it to the governor’s desk.”

Landowners are currently allowed to hunt and trap woodchucks on their own property. They’re protected elsewhere, and outdoors writer Bob Schuh of Manitowoc notes that’s a problem. “The situation now has become that they are so many of them . . . people want to know what they can do. And there’s really nothing they can do.”

Woodchucks can also make agreeable table fare. “They’re tasty,” said Wisconsin Wildlife Federation president George Meyer.

Wisconsin’s next Alice in Dairyland says she will carry on the position’s legacy of educating the public about the importance of agriculture in the state.

Crystal Siemers-Peterman of Cleveland, WI was crowned the state’s 70th Alice during the weekend in Green Bay, and will assume her new post on June 5. “As Alice in Dairyland, I will promote positive messages about Wisconsin’s agricultural products to both rural and urban audiences,” said Siemers-Peterman. “I will use my various experiences, education, and outgoing personality to deliver consistent messages about Wisconsin’s agriculture industry to diverse audiences.”

Siemers-Peterman is a spring graduate of the University of Minnesota and grew up on a dairy farm. She will spend the next year speaking at numerous events and schools in Wisconsin as the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s ambassador for the state’s agriculture industry.

Most of the Wisconsin dairy farmers who faced losing their business after Canada cut off imports of American milk have found new buyers.

All but three Wisconsin farms have reportedly signed six-month contracts with Dairy Farmers of America. Tony Senn milks cows for Swiss Miss Farms says he’s happy about the agreement, which will allow them to get back to their work. He says they won’t get paid as much as they did with Grassland Dairy, but it’s close enough to keep them in business.

Grassland told producers earlier this year it would stop buying their milk because of a change in pricing by Canada. Dozens of dairy farmers were left scrambling to find a new buyer, or else the faced the possibility of closing after May 1.

The issue also had state and federal leaders working to negotiate with Canada, with Governor Scott Walker directly asking President Donald Trump to get involved in the dispute, which included placing a tariff on Canadian lumber. Walker said this week the Trump administration will continue to press Canada to resume U.S. milk imports. “I think it has clearly gotten Canada’s attention,” he said.

The state is offering relaxed loan guarantees to dairy farmers and processors facing uncertainty because of a trade dispute with Canada.

Governor Scott Walker said the move will allow farmers and producers to access much-needed capital to address current market conditions, with more favorable repayment and collateral terms, and lower fees. Dozens of dairy farms face losing access to distributors on May 1 because of a pricing dispute with Canada.

The loan guarantees will be provided by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

Walker announced the move shortly after President Donald Trump said he was imposing stiff tariffs on Canadian lumber in response to the trade dispute. The governor said he has remained in contact with the president about the ongoing situation.

Governor Scott Walker says he’s glad to have the federal government getting involved in a trade dispute that’s putting several Wisconsin dairy farms at risk of closing.

The ongoing trade battle is the result of a Canadian pricing policy that’s stopping some imports from the U.S. It’s forced a major Wisconsin distributor to announce it will stop buying milk from about 75 farms at the end of this month, many of which currently have no other customers.

During a stop in Abbotsford Friday, Walker said he’s mindful of the fact that resolving the dispute is not going to be easy, which is why he met with President Donald Trump earlier this week during his stop in Kenosha, and talked with members of the administration afterwards. “It’s not just enough for me as a governor, I need the president and the White House behind us,” Walker said.

Walker said he would like to see Canada at least delay its policy until a solution can be found. “People can’t just stop milking, you can’t just dump the milk…there’s a real danger that if we get to the drop dead point and don’t have a resolution, they’re going to have to get out of farming…and that’s just unacceptable,” the governor said.